Renewable energy technology continues to rise in California

Since 2013, California has been very proactive in experimenting with all different kinds of renewable energy technology. Within a single year period, solar power within the sunny state grew to more than double its previous size, coming second only to wind power for the title largest supplier of renewable electricity in 2014.

Renewable energy technology booms within California

Still, this figure does not include solar on the residential and small-scale commercial that numbers in the hundreds of thousands that have covered the state in the past few years. Even after state incentives were dropped, the increase of solar energy continues unabated.

The extreme growth of solar power generation in just one year has been made possible due to several reasons and it should also be acknowledged that this is the first time that solar power has overcome biomass and geothermal renewable energy technology. Biomass and geothermal sources having long been considered the most dependable energy mix in California.

But more importantly, the spike in solar power production is enabling the state to balance the scale due to the loss of hydropower caused by the persistent drought that is plaguing California.

Hydropower no longer a viable option as drought continues to plague California

The state has always been the dominant market for large-scale solar PV projects. In fact, California took up two-thirds of contracted renewable energy technology projects in 2012. Many of these projects have improved the total solar power generation in 2014 after they were commissioned.

Such projects included the largest solar power plant in the world, the Topaz solar farm located at the San Luis Obispo County, which has a capacity of 550 megawatts and was completed at the end of 2014. Also included are the three phases of the Ivanpah project with a total capacity of 377 megawatts.

However, 2013 experienced a short pause in new contracts signed for large-scale solar plants. This is primarily due to the attainment of the renewable energy objectives of large investor-owned power companies.

Large-scale solar projects on the rise within the sunny state of California

But when Californian utilities realized that they could get better deals for solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) if they signed contracts before the Federal Investment Tax Credit expires in 2017, they started to make new procurements for large-scale solar projects.

The Author

Hi, my name is Eddy and I am an editor and content creator working within the media release department at Australian Solar Quotes and American Solar Quotes. Within my work I strive to educate and inform others through my coverage of current news and events within the renewable energy field from around the world. I invite you to join the conversation by commenting below with your thoughts.